The Minnesota Lynx swept a home-and-home series against the Washington Mystics with a solid win Saturday afternoon in Washington. The previous game at Target Center was a much closer affair, but in less than 48 hours the Lynx, after a few shaky minutes, methodically brought back the kind of game that has them firmly planted in third place in the league standings.
After Washington jumped out to an 8-2 lead, the Lynx responded by finishing the first quarter on a 20-8 run. The second quarter was a more balanced game, and Washington kept apace of the Lynx by being able to hold off widening the Minnesota lead. It was the third quarter where Minnesota displayed their playoff contention form, taking it 33-17. Although Washington made the effort and took the fourth by 6 points, it was an insurmountable lead, and the Lynx won 99-83.
Collier Led the Way for the Lynx Versus the Mystics
Napheesa Collier, who had missed the five games leading up to the Olympics, showed why she is considered one of the best in the league, scoring a game-leading 30 points. Bridget Carleton also got out of a bit of a slump, scoring 16 points including 3 from downtown.
Courtney Williams scored 14 and Kayla McBride scored 10. Diamond Miller and Dorka Juhász came off the bench combining for 16 points. Miller is still playing limited minutes, but each game is giving her the opportunity to return to form. Juhász is continuing to make a solid contribution, increasingly showing a marked maturity from her rookie season.
walked into their house. got the dub. pic.twitter.com/Qz9Sm2VHR5
— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) August 18, 2024
The Mystics were led by Stephanie Dolson who shot a perfect 8-8 including 6 from deep for 23 points. Unfortunately, the Mystics lost Karlie Samuelson to a leg injury after only the first minute of play. Otherwise, everyone who played scored. Shakira Austin, who is starting to return to form, scored 16, Ariel Atkins contributed 11, as did Shatori Walker-Kimbrough.
While neither Jade Melbourne nor Julie Vanloo put up numbers, their collective presence on the court continues to be impressive. In fact, the minutes played by the starters and those from the bench were just about equal. Both Brittney Sykes and Austin are on a minutes restriction, but when that ceases to be an issue, I suspect Washington will make a better showing. However, with only 13 games left for the Mystics, the likelihood of them reaching the playoffs seems remote.
Are the Lynx a Championship Contender?
If Minnesota can continue to solidify their offense and stay a defensive threat, will that put them in the conversation for the finals? Yes, it will. Although New York and Las Vegas are still considered to be the likely teams, Connecticut, Minnesota, and Seattle will also be contending.
What is curious about the Mystics is that with the talent they have on their roster, what is stopping them from making more of an impact? Looking at the game stats, the only significant discrepancies were points in the paint, with Minnesota at 36 and Washington at 26, and points off of turnovers. Their shooting percentage, 48.3%, and 29-60 are enough to win. So, is it a question of mentality, coaching issues, or simply a bad season? Unfortunately, I don’t think we will find that out until next season.
But for now, all they can do is compete. The Lynx are just a few games away from securing a playoff berth, and how they perform in the playoffs will need to resemble how they played this game against Washington, plus more consistent contributions from the starters.
Up next for Minnesota is a series with Las Vegas, first on Wednesday in Las Vegas and then Friday at Target Center. Washington’s next two games are at home, with Seattle on Tuesday and Los Angeles on Friday.
And that, my friends, as they say, is that.’ — Martin Ruben.
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